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Nicole O. Avatar

covergirl the super sizer (waterproof) . i have long , stubbornly straight lashes , so finding a mascara that holds a curl is damn near impossible .

so much so , that i skip mascara entirely .

all of that changed when i tried the super sizer . it gives me length without clumping & most importantly for me , IT HOLDS A CURL !!! it doesn’t flake or smudge either , which is always a plus .

safe to say , it’s been life–changing for me !

?

Anne Avatar

I don’t really have a most used. I tend to snag the travel sized ones for free and I prefer to use that size anyways as it doesn’t dry out with a bunch of product still remaining. Though, I prefer waterproof formulations that give good definition and length, and volume is a plus. If anyone has good recommendations for mascaras that do that, please feel free to let me know.

Nancy T Avatar

Up until I received my ” birthday gift” from Ulta of Benefit Roller Lash , it had been Maybelline Lash Sensational for the longest time. Basically, ever since Maybelline introduced it. Now the 2 are used fairly regularly, but I truly love the separation and definition that Roller Lash gives me! I also have a sample from MAC, I believe it’s the False Lashes one? Gotta give it a go and see how it does!
On a side note, I know I had mentioned the Maybelline one flakiing. Turns out it wasn’t the mascara, but the combo of it with the Nyx Slide-on Jet Black eye liner weren’t working together at the tightline!

Gillian Avatar

It’s L’Oréal Voluminous in Carbon Black (or is it called Extra Black now?), I’ve been using it pretty religiously for years and years. The only exceptions are two Lancôme mascaras: Hypnôse and Grandiôse. Both of them are amazing but not much better than the L’Oréal one so I just keep buying that. ?

Wednesday Avatar

My most used mascara: Giorgio Armani ETK Excess. I love/hate it. It gives me really nice ultra fluttery eyelashes, but an absolute b*itch to apply. If I am in a hurry…forget it, the mascara goes on in a giant goopy mess. I have to really slow down and work the excess off the brush and swipe super slowly from base of lashes out. Love the formula has plenty of flex, doesn’t dry out my lashes, feels ultra comfortable to wear, and it’s easy to remove with proper cleanser.

I just received a trial tube of False Lashes and I quite like it too. I’m going to buy a full size with my next MAC order.

Differences between the two: False Lashes, it has a lot less flex and runs drier on my lashes so it feels less comfortable by the end of the day and it doesn’t quite give me that ultra flutteryness of the GA ETK, but I it makes for a respectable everyday kind of mascara, giving really beautiful length and volume and I find it waaay quicker to apply. I think having both is ideal for me.

Lea Avatar

I completely know what you mean with the ETK. I love it, but the formula is just so wet it’s a mess. My favorite mascara a are Cle de Peau and Chantecaille Faux Cils with the lash growth serum. Right now I’m using Tom Ford Extreme. The brush is enormous, so it’s taken some getting used to and can still be a little unwieldy – but it is so, so black. It makes my lashes look amazing; which helps me overlook the extra work to clean up around my small eyes.

Wednesday Avatar

Which CdP, Lea? The volumizing formula?

I’ve heard some good word on the TF, but haven’t tried it myself. I have small eyes as well so would probably find the humongous brush funny and daunting 🙂 You don’t want to be stabbing yourself in the eye with that wand. LOL

Lea Avatar

CdP just has the one formula, Perfect Lash, but from what you describe about what you like in ETK, I think you’ll like it a lot. Fortunately there’s no eye poking with TF; I just do my lashes before shadow now so I can clean up any spots I get on my lid around the lash line and not need to redo my shadow. It feels backwards, but works well enough. If I’m tightlining or lining from under the top lashes into the lash line itself, I use mascara last and just try to be super careful!!

Mariella Avatar

It’s a toss up between L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant (even though I am not crazy about that brush!). My all time faves are Clarins Be Long and Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long Wear (which I can no longer GET!!!!) but I have the first 2 open an on the go so I want to finish them and then it will be back to Clarins Be Long.

Tammy B Avatar

I have been using MAC False Lashes a lot too lately, as I have received three samples from MAC. But my go-to mascara is Lancome’s Grandiose, I’ve still never found anything better.

Rachel Avatar

Tarte lights camera lashes.

Lately, I’ve been trying to use up my samples and open tubes that’s I’ve tried, but never used up. Trying to use them before they dry up or go bad.

The most loved combo that I can’t stop wearing this month is the tarte primer with NARS audacious mascara. I previously hated the NARS mascara, but with the primer it’s a new favorite. I’ve recieved many compliments on my thin short lashes.

Donna Avatar

Guerlain Maxi Lash for me. Been using it for over 3 years now, and although I do try others from time to time, I always come back to Maci Lash.

Julia Avatar

Finally, an easy one! Covergirl Lash Blast Volume, hands down. I think I’ve been using this one nearly since it launched, with only a few breaks. I love the silicone brush. I personally don’t find a very good return on investment with H/E or luxury mascara (same as I feel about nail polish), though I am fortunately starting with rather dark and thick lashes. Plus with the price, I don’t feel guilty being very responsible and getting a fresh tube every month.

Erica Avatar

Honestly I don’t see a darn difference with H/E mascaras. Nothing beats my Maybelline or Loreal ones. AND when you replace a mascara every 3 months, I cannot justify spending $25-$30 on a product that gives no better results. Js

Stacy Avatar

I’m right there with you, Erica. I don’t get nearly enough more bang for the buck to justify paying for high end mascara any more. I get exactly the look I want and performance I require from a number of drugstore brands, so spending more is a waste of money for me.

PrNoir Avatar

That’s how I feel as well! At least if a D/S mascara doesn’t work out for me, I only spent a couple of bucks on it. I’ve been pretty happy with most of my drug store mascara purchases and have been disappoint by some H/E ones

chelsea Avatar

Right now Benefit They’re Real and Maybelline Lash Sensational. I think I’ll try MAC False Lashes next after trying a promo sample and really loving how it looked!

Anne Avatar

Currently Benefit’s They’re Real in brown. Tough to remove but removal product works ok. And, a bit thick for my taste. But, so far the best brown I’ve found; Almay discontinued it’s lengthening formula; Clinique’s is too thin/”natural”; Bobbi Brown’s is LE. Black is too harsh for me, with my coloring and fact my eyes are such a strong feature as it is.

Kylie5 Avatar

I use the Benefit, too, but I have no Problems with removing.
Have you tried micellar water (Hope it is written right because I am from Germany and Do not know). You get this micellar Walter from nearly every Brand now but the best one I have tried is the one from Loreal.
Loreal hydro active Skin perfection micellar Walter for dry and sensitive Skin. It removes everything. I only use a Different product if I have an eyeshadow on which has a lot of glitter.
So I remove my complete makeup with this Water and then I clean it with Skin wash from Australian bodycare.

Tracey E. Avatar

Lancome Hypnose Star, Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara, and Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes are in the regular application. I periodically try to finish sample sizes of Chanel and MAC. I have a love/hate relationship with Dior Iconic – will finish but not repurchase.

Justine Avatar

Covergirl Clump Crusher and Benefit They’re Real. Both are awesome, but due to price, I usually repurchase the Covergirl. When I worked in cosmetics, Benefit was very generous with gratis so I survived off of freebies and samples. Love it!

Katharina Avatar

I repurchased the Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black mascara pretty religiously for like 9 years. It was my first mascara too, so it has a special place in my heart lol! I used to love it and it’s still pretty good, but I feel it doesn’t work as well as it used to for me. Probably because my preferences in makeup have changed a lot recently… and I’ve become pickier about makeup as well over the past few years haha. Still on the hunt for a new holy grail mascara atm!

Kate Avatar

I keep trying to find something I love more than YSL Shocking, but nothing even compares. I read reviews, use the samples that I receive, and I’ve even tried the latest greatest drugstore offerings, but nothing compares to this product. It lengthens and thickens and really makes my lashes look like falsies. Hands down the best for me.

debutante Avatar

Hate spending a lot on mascara because I’m religious about tossing it every 3 months. Sensitive eyes plus contact lens wearer.
LOVE Dior show but too $$$, lately I’m loving super sizer by cover girl. If you roll the brush u get super length ! ! Lash blast by maybelline has been a recent fave for awhile too.

Kylie5 Avatar

Bare Minerals Flawless Definition volumizing Mascara in Espresso before it was discontinued in Germany/Europe.
Now I use many Different Mascaras to find a new Holy grail Mascara.
The one I use Most at the Moment is Benefit they’re real Mascara in Brown but I won’t rebuy if it is finished because I Do not like the Brush.
I Do not know which I will try next. I have a Box with nearly every Mascara in Brown here to try from normal to high end. Probably it will be one from annayake because it looked sooo good on the Woman who sold it to me.

Dua Avatar

Most used and Lived Mascaras:
Chanel Le Volume
Benefit They’re Real (best used as second coat)
Benefit Roller Lash
Too Faced Better Than Sex

Sheryl Avatar

I think I finally found my Holy Grail!!! I got a sample of Pericone’s No Mascara mascara. I I’m in total love. I have very thin sparse lashes. Most mascaras make them look clumpy and gloopy. And I’ve tried high and low end and everything in between. Pericone’s gives me long fluttery lashes that look amazing. Wished I would have tried this sooner!!!

Judy H. Avatar

For years I used MAC Plush mascara, I adored it and was heartbroken when they discontinued it…how could they?? After that I tried Tarte, Mally, and Clinique…none of them were pleasing to me. I remembered that years ago, I used to use and LOVE Max Factor 2000 calorie mascara which was readily available at Walgreens and another drug store close to me. I was so glad I thought of it and ran out to get up a couple of tubes. I couldn’t find it anywhere! Finally, I found a few places online where I can buy it. While it isn’t my beloved MAC Plush, it comes in a close second.

Maude Avatar

L’Oréal Double Extend.
Washes off with only water, although water-resistant.
It’s rubber-like formula is similar to the “Kiss Me” mascara, but it looks way better – it’s so buildable you can get a flase-lashes look.

KJH Avatar

Ooh, on me it’s just the opposite. I love tubing, because I scare people without concealer, and tubing is nec, at least on the bottom. Tried the L’Oreal and found it to have difficulty on the separation front. I still prefer the Blinc, although I think it has deteriorated in quality over the past few years. Plus, Blinc has colors.

Maude Avatar

I think a lot of people find that it is tricky to achieve nice definition with L’Oréal Double Extend. But you know what? It is exactly why I can build it at the roots of the lashes – I love the effect I get! Towards the tip of the lashes, I am very careful so they stay neat. And if I fail, I use (warning, this is spooky) a safety pin to separate them very carefully.
It’s getting a little harder to buy the product in drugstores around here (Montréal QC Canada)… But trust me, if they ever stop stelling it here, I’ll track it down to the very last tube on the planet, haha! I can’t picture myself switching for Blinc; not thick enough for my taste!

Judy H. Avatar

I have a question Christine. It seems the products you always like best are the very high end and quite expensive. Do you receive these products from the companies to use and review or do you just allow yourself a big budget for your makeup?

Stacy Avatar

Maybelline Full & Soft for an every-day, more natural look, and Lash Sensational when I want a more dramatic look.

With so many very good drugstore mascaras on the market, that is one makeup item that I don’t see myself paying high-end dollars for, ever again.

Connie Avatar

I have tried all kind of mascaras!! some of them very expensive, but IMO nothing beats Covergirl clump crusher!! I have it in black and black/brown and choose between them depending the intensity of my looks or the occasion, my lashes look so full and long but never clumpy. I really love it!! Now I never spend time trying new mascaras, I just repurchase this one over and over again.

Maria Avatar

Loreal Voluminous Butterfly in Midnight Black. …this is by far the best mascara I have ever used. I was a die hard original Great Lash fan until I tried this mascara. The brush is what makes it so wonderful. It coats, separates and lengthens like no other. My lashes have never looked fuller or longer. It is my favorite new product of the year. At least it’s new to me.

Genevieve Avatar

I have started using the Covergirl Super Sizer and it has been pretty good – I want my lashes thick and curly, because if they are long they just wind shield wipe my glasses with streaks.
Before this, I just used travel sizes that came with GWP – this was handy too.

Deborah S. Avatar

I have been using a waterproof Cover Girl mascara since I was in high school and I am 62 years old now. They change the name but I always manage to find it and right now it is being called “The Super Sizer”. I love that mascara. It doesn’t clump. It doesn’t flake or give me raccoon eyes. I have very hooded eyes and every other mascara makes me look like a raccoon within a couple of hours. As I have gotten older my lashes have become a little more sparse so what I am currently doing is a three step process.
Step 1. Apply Lancôme Cils Booster
Step 2 Apply Lancôme Hypnose Drama for volume
Step 3 Apply Cover Girl Super Sizer Waterproof for length, curl and to keep the Lancôme mascara locked in place. I get a lot of compliments on my lashes and people are always asking me what I use to make my lashes grow so long. I always say, “It’s an illusion!”

BonnieBBon Avatar

Kevyn Aucoin the volume mascara hands down!! I had been a DiorShow fiend but I was converted and in love at first swipe with the KA. My lashes are really long but spidery thin. This mascara …I love it…as much as I love some people lol Im very thankful it’s so easy to get a hold of now too. I believe there are 3 varieties and all the tubes look the same except for gold writing that denotes which is which. Idk about the other 2 but the volume is perfection!!

Anat13 Avatar

Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Super Waterproof is the only one I’ve found that holds a curl. It’s the only mascara I use now!

Sandra Avatar

The only mascara me and my daughters use for the past three years is Tarte’s Lights Camera Lashes. I have sampled Too Faced Better than sex but I came back to this one. Before tarte it was mallys but it stopped working for me.

WildDove Avatar

L’Oréal Voluminous Carbon Black. I’ve tried many others, but they never measure up.
My lashes are stubbornly straight and I don’t like to use a lash curler, so I go for blackness, thickness,
and length, which are stunning when viewed from the side. No doll eyes from the front, but
that’s not for me anyway. Not liking the mascara removal process, which seems to take several passes including the next morning regardless of what I use, I only wear mascara for special occasions and generally do well enough without it for everyday casual wear.

Laura Haslam Avatar

My favourite so far has been Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara. It’s a Japanese brand but it curls my lashes and holds them all day like no other mascara. The only thing is it’s a pain to remove but nothing a good balm cleanser can’t fix.

BonnieJ Avatar

My lashes and my heart belong to L’ Oreal Voluminous in Black with the curved brush, which gets the most usage, hands down.

I get other brands’ mascara samples all the time from Sephora and department store GWPs from I have tried nearly all the latest and more expensive ones from Lancome, Dior, Lauder, and others, but this is the one to which I always return, at less than half the price of all the others.

Voluminous simply does the job of volumizing, darkening, and lengthening my lashes as well or better than the other brands. I curl my lashes with the curler, apply Voluminous, and voila! I have long thick lashes that are very black as well (when you’re over 60 like me, sometimes they grow in white, so this is important).

PrNoir Avatar

I’ve been using the Rimmel London Super Curler Mascara on my top lashes for the last two months. When I first bought it, I didn’t like at all. I was actually going to throw it away, but I gave my self a week to get use to it and now I love it! I think it was a combination of letting it dry out just a tad bit and figuring out how to use to curved brush to curl my lashes. Once I all that out, I’ve been pretty happy with it. It gives me a lot of color, volume and curl. I just wish it made my lashes a little longer.

On my bottom lashes I’ve been using a Clinique mini- I think it is the High Impact mascara, but I’m not sure. It’s not super fantastic or anything and I probably won’t repurchase, but it does what I need it to do.

For about 2 yrs my HG was the Buxom Lash Waterproof mascara (my eyes are super watery and I have hooded lids, so curl is very important). It added a lot of length, which is why I think I loved it so much, but a few months ago I repurchased a tube and became very disappointed with the product. the buxom “create your own”, I think it’s discontinued now, mascara with the leopard print handle was my 2nd HG. It separated lashes like none other! I still have a mini I keep around. It didn’t really do anything else other than separate though, so I only used it as a second coat when I needed to.

txabela Avatar

I use the GOSH Growth Mascara… not so much for its growth effect on me, but because it conditions the lashes and is an all rounder for everyday: separates, gives decent length, discreet volume, holds the curl and doesn’t flake.

Monica L. Avatar

My fav mascara so far is the Benefit Roller Lash. My lashes are not long at all so I really have to do work on them by curling and priming. I don’t have to do any of that with the Benefit Rollerlash, my favorite so far!

Julia Avatar

I use waterproof mascara and I’ve tried them all–DiorShow, Clinique, Makeup Forever, Smashbox, Charlotte Tilbury, Maybelline, Chanel..you name it, I’ve tried it. None of them are as good as this brand I found at Target: Essence. It’s about 4 bucks and it’s awesome. Stays on, doesn’t run..it’s great!

Anna Avatar

1) Jordana Best Lash!
The least costly mascara I’ve ever tried, and so far it has worked the best for me. Of course I’m always trying other things to see if there is something better, but I keep coming back to this one!

2) Maybelline Lash Sensational
Is amazing when you figure out how to most effectively use the wand- but don’t use it much because it is difficult to wash off. (yes, the NON-waterproof one!)

3) Loreal Voluminous, the original versions. Carbon Black, Curved brush…

Bonnie Avatar

I try so many, but I always find my way back to the original L’Oreal Voluminous in black. I also really like a Lord and Berry that I got in a Birchbox subscription. I think it was called Back in Black. This was a really nice mascara that gave me black lashes and definition, but was never clumpy or spidery. The only reason I haven’t gotten it again is that I don’t know who sells Lord and Berry, and haven’t taken the time to google it. That, and the fact that it’s about 4x the price of L’Oreal. Might just be worth it though.

Cathe Avatar

For a while it’s been Maybelline’s The Falsies. I love the wand–it’s easy to maneuver. The product itself is non flakey and gives my lashes a nice thickness. On my bottom lashes I use NYC Color Skyline mascara. That wand lends itself well to application on bottom lashes because it is a narrow wand. There isn’t a ton of product getting on the wand either so it doesn’t smear. Both are priced low but the quality is wonderful!

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